As a white-passing gay male, I have used (and sometimes continue to use) AAVE. In our community the usage of AAVE is normal. Yet, many of the people who say, “period” “sis” “tea” does not understand the history behind the language. Yes, it goes farther back than RuPaul’s Drag Race, shocker I know! During black history month, it is the duty of our community to recognize the lasting impact the black community has had on our fashion, music tastes, and yes, our vernacular. I will be taking a deep dive in Ballroom Culture and how AAVE has impacted our community.
As many white gay men, I religiously have watched every season of Drag Race and its spinoffs. I keep up with drag queens, watch YouTube videos about drag queens, etc. I have been watching Drag Race since I was 12, and so I have picked up on the language, which much of it is AAVE. Ballroom culture, where drag originated, has been present in New York City since the 1920’s. In the beginning it was mainly white men putting on drag shows, and black people rarely attended and were expected to lighten their faces. Once again, there is a history of racism in the LGBTQ+ community since the very beginning. We also know the history of thievery from the black community everywhere, they created our most popular genres of music, our fashion and yes, our slang. Needing to escape, their escape, in the 1960’s underground ball culture took off. This was also during a time of heightened persecution for the queer community, and many, if not all, queer POC ignited our trail to a better future, The Stonewall riots. I have a separate article over riots in the LGBTQ+ community for better reference. In the 1970’s ballroom expanded tremendously, increasing in houses, categories, etc. This was the beginning of a sanctuary for queer POC, specifically black queer individuals, who were not only outcasted by the heteronormative world, but also the world of race. This began a new version of what ballroom was, more effort, time, and care were spent with the creation of looks, walks, categories, more pride was taken in the houses, because they had to. The beginning of ballroom culture, or what we know of it today, was almost strictly a form of escapism. The popularity of ballroom culture grew beyond a safe space with Madonna’s hit song Vogue. Yet, there was quarrels about this, it felt like something had been stolen and put out towards the world. Something so sacred, once again was taken, and used for profit and the queer black community, and other POC, suffered the consequences. Madonna made ballroom a trend, but that was not what ballroom was, it was people’s lives. Movies like Paris is Burning, showed ballroom, but still stole from the faces of the movie, who were POC. It is a long-lasting cycle that the gay community has yet to break.
Pose this year was once again snubbed from the Emmy’s and The Golden Globes, and we know why. Pose does a fantastic job of looking into the lives of trans women of color, without them being the butt of a joke. The show represents ball culture well, while making almost the entire main cast trans, a representation that is so needed. Pose is one of the best made shows I have seen in a very long time, it is witty, heartbreaking, and beautifully written. Angelica Ross’s performance brought me to tears many times in season 2, and this type of representation of ball culture is needed. It shows the dirty, gritty, part of being a queer person especially during the 80’s. The reason I mention Pose is because while Billy Porter was nominated and won an Emmy, not a single main woman role was nominated. It is because even in a show that represents the unrepresented, queer people are being ignored, similar to the drag scene in the 1920’s. Ballroom culture has influenced the gay community tremendously, and even influenced the many social media platforms we use on the daily, yet they are not being rewarded for it. We continue to steal, give no credit, no awards, and then profit off of it. Ballroom for many people is more than just a T.V. show, or a gay bar, it is their life. It is their safe space they had to create.
Ballroom has now spread worldwide. Shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race, Dragula, have taken ballroom and commoditized it. It a new way, yes invented, but at its core, it is inspired by ballroom. Also, with the expansion of ballroom to social media, television, also expanded the usage of AAVE in the gay community. AAVE stands for African American Vernacular, or the speech patterns, language, and words used by the black community. The roots stretch back to the 17th and 18th century in Maryland/Chesapeake Bay. The expansion of AAVE came with the expansion of slavery throughout the nation. Many people believe that it comes from multiple regions but also because many African American slaves did not speak English and they did not speak the tongues of the other slaves that accompanied them., so the creation of AAVE came about. Since many of the people who participated int eh ballroom culture after the 1960’s was POC, specifically black individuals, they used AAVE. Today, AAVE is used all over social media, without any regard or knowledge of the history. One of the main spreaders of AAVE in our community came from ballroom, yet that does not make it just. Our community has once again, acted like the oppressor, stealing from the black community for our own benefit. AAVE has become popular yet for many years negative connotations came with the usage of this vernacular. “Ghetto” “Ratchet” but it’s ok for a white twink to use it? Is it because when a white person does it, it is no longer negative? What does that say? That things that come from the black community are inherently negative unless they are done by white people? We cannot continue to portray this version of unity if we do not understand the history and why this is important to so many POC. This is their language, created by them for safety, and was used in a space THEY made because they were not welcome in the ones that were already being excluded. The reason I wanted to discuss this topic is because I used to use AAVE, with no regard to what it truly was. AAVE and ballroom culture are intertwined, the black community, and other POC, are the reasons for us to feel safe. The reason why we have Drage Race, why social media is as prevalent, why music is so popular, they are to thank. They are to thank for nearly everything to come out of the LGBTQ+ community.
Our culture has stemmed from the black community, was grown by the black community, and is the black community’s. We must recognize the history behind our favorite types of culture in the LGBTQ+ community and also recognize the persistent racism that has intruded our community. We have used POC, mainly black people, for our entrainment and have given little to no credit. Remember next time you say, “Period sis” or you are watching RuPaul’s Drag Race, know where it comes from and how our community needs to change our thieving habits. We need to end this cycle that is built on racism and transphobia. How can we say we love everyone, when our community is calling out and we ignore them? How can we be inclusive, when we stole their safe space? How can we be queer, if we still are holding on to heteronormative standards?
Resources:
Subcultures and sociology. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2021, from https://haenfler.sites.grinnell.edu/subcultures-and-scenes/underground-ball-culture/
Winford, D. (2015, July 01). The origins of African American Vernacular English. Retrieved February 16, 2021, from https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199795390.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199795390-e-5
Picture:
Neicy Carter wears an avant-garde gown designed by her best friend at the Iconic House of Old Navy Ball in 2014. Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Neicy struggled when she first moved to the United States as a teenager. “I'm a trans woman—a black trans woman—of the LGBT community who was undocumented,” she says. With no other way to make ends meet, “prostitution was a given,” she says. Neicy was introduced to the kiki scene when she was 18 years old. Walking in the balls helped her build confidence and determination—qualities she later used to help navigate a complex immigration system. Today Neicy has a green card and a fulfilling career as a youth advocate at the Hetrick-Martin Institute, the nation’s largest youth-focused LGBTQ advocacy group. She is also pursuing a career in criminal justice at Hostos Community College of the City University of New York.
Salzman, A. (2019, November 07). In the kiki ballroom scene, queer kids of color can be themselves. Retrieved February 16, 2021, from https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2019/11/nyc-kiki-community/599830/
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